“McCormick Place’s Lakeside Center could be in line soon for big changes — including placing an array of solar panels on its 19-acre cantilevered roof — under prospective redevelopment plans for the aged, but architecturally significant, convention hall.
“‘It’s definitely a jewel,’ Larita Clark, CEO of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, said of the 53-year-old building. ‘We’re going to capitalize on that.’
“It’s about time.
“Built in 1971 and designed by the late architects Helmut Jahn and Gene Summers for what was then C.F. Murphy Associates (now Jahn), the steel and glass building with that signature, prairie-flat roof is a high point of Chicago modernism.
“But as buckets of MPEA cash and attention went to constructing and maintaining the new and shiny McCormick Place buildings west of DuSable Lake Shore Drive starting in the late 1990s, the old hall by the lake looks more forlorn by the year.
“The MPEA has struggled for years trying to find a way to redevelop Lakeside Center and add new money-making uses, while preserving the building’s nearly 600,000 square feet of convention space. The building needs at least $400 million in repairs, according to the MPEA.
In 2022, the authority issued a ‘request for information’ seeking ideas to redevelop all or parts of the 51-year-old structure without giving up any of the convention halls. If done correctly, the plan could turn Lakeside Center into one of most exciting destinations in the city.
“Imagine dining and dancing on the building’s huge terraces, overlooking the lake from beneath the roof’s 75-foot cantilever? Or converting the convention spaces into a food hall, a market or a museum of some sort?
“Clark said the MPEA received ‘more than 10 responses’ to the RFI. The agency has now issued a call to hire a consultant team that can ‘help go through those ideas and maybe even come up with new ideas for redeveloping Lakeside Center,’ she said.
“The consultant team would also tackle the MPEA proposal to cover a third of Lakeside Center’s roof with solar panels. The agency said the array would generate nearly 4.5 million kilowatt-hours of power yearly.
“But a lot of potential lies in all this. The lakefront and the city would greatly benefit from a reinvigorated and more public Lakeside Center. And it’s better than tearing it down.” (Bey, Chicago Sun-Times, 11/2/24)
Read the full column at Chicago Sun-Times
Mid-South Cultural Center and Field House Adaptive Reuse Suggestion from Preservation Chicago
In addition to the building’s architectural significance, Lakeside Center is a wonderful candidate for a dynamic adaptive reuse that would return this prominent lakefront location to use by Chicagoans.
One potential adaptive reuse concept is that Lakeside Center could be easily retrofitted into a flagship Chicago Park District Fieldhouse and Mid-South Cultural Center to include the Arie Crown Theater for cultural and community events. A cultural use of Lakeside Center would be anchored by the Arie Crown Theater for cultural and community events. The Arie Crown Theater is one of the largest theaters in Chicago with seating for 4,250. Only the long-shuttered Uptown Theatre in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood has a larger seating capacity. Additionally, the Arie Crown Theater has been well maintained with a significant renovation in 1997 which reduced the seating capacity, rebuilt the stage and improved the acoustics.
If Lakeside Center was retrofitted into a flagship Chicago Park District Fieldhouse, the cavernous column-free space could accommodate a wide variety of first-rate facilities all under one roof. The upper levels of the center could be used for indoor tennis courts, running track, yoga, Zumba and weights, and other recreational uses overlooking Lake Michigan, harbors and parks. The expansive lower level halls could be used for an Olympic-sized swimming pool, basketball courts, climbing walls, squash courts, roller rink, roller derby track and perhaps even a bike velodrome track. The massive rooftop could be activated with a jogging path, tennis courts, and basketball courts. The turf at Soldier’s Field covers 1.5 acres while the rooftop of Lakeside Center covers 18.8 acres
A café located at the northeast corner of the Lakeside Center rooftop would have such incredible, panoramic views of the city and lakefront that it would likely become a must-see destination for locals and tourists alike. The building’s enormous terrace overlooking Lake Michigan is ideal for activation such as Chicago Summer Dance, music festivals and other outdoor activities under the broad overhang. The historic Humboldt Park Boat House is a great example of the type of successful programming that could activate and enliven this extraordinary and underutilized community resource.
Located along Chicago’s Lakefront Trail, the Mid-South Cultural Center and Field House would be easily accessible as a central destination to joggers, bikers, rollerbladers and others from Ardmore Street on the North Side to 71st Street on the South Side.
Additionally, Lakeside Center is directly across a narrow channel from Northerly Island Park. Despite its large size and incredible location on a peninsula, this 120-acre park is difficult to access and suffers from low attendance and poor maintenance. A bike and pedestrian bridge could be built directly from Lakeside Center’s expansive terrace to increase access to this neglected Northerly Island Park.
The idea of demolishing a first-class building of great architectural and historical note would be a huge embarrassment for the city and another drain on Chicago’s taxpayers to fund another and bigger windowless convention center on Chicago’s Lakefront. Preservation Chicago applauds McPier, the Chicago Park District and other decision-makers to find a creative way to better integrate the convention center into the daily fabric of Chicago.
Additional Reading
- After rejecting casino redevelopment plan, McCormick Place looks to ‘reimagine’ aging Lakeside Center, Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 9/20/22
- The ‘mistake on the lake’ gets a retake as agency seeks new look for Lakeside Center; McCormick Place owner seeks ideas on the redevelopment of all or parts of the 51-year-old building that needs $400 million in repairs, Lee Bey, Chicago Sun-Times, 9/15/22
- Op-ed: Turning McCormick Place’s Lakeside Center into a casino would be a win for Chicago, Ward Miller / Preservation Chicago, Chicago Tribune, 1/3/22
- Barbara Koenen: Transform McCormick Place’s Lakeside Center into a recreational center that would serve all, Barbara Koenen, Chicago Tribune, 3/28/22
- Helmut Jahn and I re-imagined Lakeside Center in 2011. The city can still take advantage, Philip Castillo, Chicago Tribune, 4/8/22
- Casino or not, city has big decisions to make regarding Lakeside Center; While the future of Soldier Field takes up a lot of oxygen in Chicago’s political and civic discourse, its neighbor to the south, Lakeside Center, looms just as large, Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board, 3/21/22